


Bolin's Birthday Bash!

by Scriberat



Series: Bolin's Birthday Bash [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, F/M, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26968270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scriberat/pseuds/Scriberat
Summary: Bolin's birthday is coming up, and who better to celebrate with than his friends? And family? And Opal, of course. And Opal's family. And, oh, hey, we have dignitaries arriving. Uh.He wanted a bash.
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Eska/Huan, Korra/Asami Sato
Series: Bolin's Birthday Bash [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967965
Kudos: 21





	Bolin's Birthday Bash!

**Author's Note:**

> this went so plotty in my head and i ended up snipping a scene out. itll be conjoined to this one.

Bolin burst into Mako’s room, waking his brother with the _slam_ of his door against the innocent wall. “Mako Mako Mako Mako Mako!”

“What?” Mako asked, two hours and three cups of coffee away from being able to deal with This Shit.

“Guess what?” Bolin had the audacity to ask. Mako glared at him.

“Okay, a little early for this much excitement. But~ My birthday is coming up and I wanna throw a party! But not just any party. Oh, no. I’m gonna host a birthday bash!” Bolin grinned. “Isn’t that a great idea?”

“Bolin, is the sun even up yet?”

“Uh. No.” It was, in fact, 3 in the morning.

“Great.” Mako yawned. “We’ll revisit this in the morning.”

“Got it, right.” Bolin backed out of the room, then whispered, “Sorry,” as he closed it gently behind him. Mako sighed and rolled over, then fell back asleep.

Two hours and three cups of coffee after he woke up later, Mako was ready to hear what Bolin had planned.

“Alright, so I’m thinking that we’ll have it at Air Temple Island, since that’s where Korra and the kids already live. Opal is friends with everyone there, so the airbenders can all come to my party, and obviously Asami is invited. Our extended family, including Grandma. Oh, and Varric and Ju Li. I wonder if I’m missing anyone…” Bolin hummed as Mako stared.

“Have you asked permission yet?” Mako asked.

“Permission for what?” Bolin asked back.

“For using Air Temple Island.”

“Not yet, but I know Tenzin will be thrilled to host a party!”

Tenzin was not thrilled to host a party. “No,” he said.

“Aw, come on, please?” Bolin asked. The kids gathered around him. Milo put on his best begging face alongside Ikki.

“Please Dad?”

“Please? We never get to host parties,” Ikki said. Tenzin shook his head.

“Absolutely not. Can you imagine the mess? The chaos?”

“We can clean up any mess! And we’ll keep it under control!” Ikki clapped her hands together.

“Plus, it’s against the teachings of the monks to turn away guests~” Jinora offered, hands clasped behind her back as she spouted wisdom in that way that Tenzin _knew_ meant he was about to lose this argument hardcore. “So, if a bunch of people suddenly showed up for some reason, we couldn’t turn them away.”

There it was. Tenzin sighed and silently cursed his daughter before taking that back and trying to uncurse her. “Alright, we’ll have the party here. I’ll inform Korra.”

“Alright! Thank you, sir!” Bolin said, grinning widely. Tenzin smiled seeing it. Even if he was a begrudging member of this new plot, it did make him happy to know he could do something for one of Korra’s dearest friends.

Korra was out on one of the temple’s balconies, overlooking a small grove of trees below. Asami stood next to her with a couple cups of tea.

“This place is always so peaceful,” she said. Korra nodded.

“It’s nice to be able to live here all the time. I just wish there was a little more excitement than someone almost hitting a wall every once in awhile as they get used to airbending,” she said, sighing. The mental image made Asami chuckle.

“Well, I’m sure something interesting will come up. You’re the Avatar. Trouble follows you, and people seek you out for all sorts of things when you’re not attracting trouble.”

“You got that right.” Korra laughed. Asami handed her the tea, and they drank together for a bit before hearing a knock on the open-faced doorway behind them.

“Excuse me, Korra, but I have something to tell you.”  
  


“What is it? Bandit attack?”

“Press conference?” Asami asked.

“Foreign dignitary I need to greet? Please tell me it’s Zuko.”

“No, none of that, but I can see why you would think that,” Tenzin said. “No, I’m here on behalf of Bolin. He’s decided to have a birthday party at the temple, and I couldn’t say no—“ That got a shared glance between Korra and Asami. They knew how it went down already, and Korra silently thanked Jinora for being a walking rulebook that worked in their favor — “so I told him I would inform you of it. You’re invited, obviously.”

“A birthday party for Bolin, huh? Sounds awfully messy,” Korra teased.

“That it will be.”

“And chaotic,” Asami said.

“That, too.” Tenzin sighed.

“But you can’t turn away guests,” Korra said, smirking. Tenzin nodded.

“You got it exactly.”

“I’m looking forward to it. What day?”  
  
“I… didn’t think to ask.” Tenzin looked sheepish as an arm slung around his shoulder. “Gah!”

“So, what’s this we hear about a party? Are we invited?” Bumi asked.

“I don’t know,” Tenzin said tersely, ever the serious and annoyed one around his older brother.

“Well, why don’t we find out?” Kya asked from the other side. She smiled, softer than Bumi and not an ounce less annoying, depending on the day — like today. Today, she was annoying.

“Good idea,” Korra said. “We can call him on the phone.”

“Right. Let’s do that.”

Bolin wasn’t home, because he was at another part of the temple looking for Opal. The halls were mostly empty. Even with more benders around, there were plenty of quiet places, but Bolin knew exactly where she would be. She loved one part of the gardens, loved going out there to be among the plants and the air. He made his way to that corner and found her.

“Opal!”

“Bolin! What an unexpected surprise! What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I wanted to tell you something special~ I have successfully convinced Tenzin to let me have my birthday party on Air Temple Island!”

Asami hummed in the radio room when Bolin failed to pick up. “You know what would make this really special for Bolin? Renting out the pro-bending stadium for his birthday!”

“We could host matches that way,” Korra said. “Get some of the teams together for it so we can watch them go at it for a special round!”

“That’s certainly doable,” Asami said.

“We could even get the Fire Ferrets back together for it. Bolin could be back in the ring doing what he loves.”

“And you can be back in the ring doing what _you_ love,” Asami said, giggling. Korra blushed.

“Yep, that’s right!”

Later that day, after Bolin had separated from Opal, Korra approached her.

“Hey, do you think that Bolin would be cool if we moved the party to the pro-bending stadium? Asami said she can rent it out for a night. We can get in the ring again,” Korra said.

“I bet he would jump at the chance to be in the ring again,” Opal said, smiling. “He tells me sometimes about the matches you all had and comments on current matches.”

“That’s good to hear. I do miss being on a team with him like before.” Korra smiled, and both women ended up laughing together.

Bolin was not notified of the fact that they were going to be moving the party. Instead, he was working on his guest list. “Alright, so we’ve got invitations for the Beifong sisters, Opal’s siblings…” He counted them off. “Suyin, Lin, Baater, Baater Jr., Kuvira, thank goodness that whole mess is dealt with. Uhh… Huan, Wei, Wing, 1, 2, 3, 4. That’s all the siblings!”

“What about Toph? Aren’t you going to invite her?” Mako asked, looking over at Bolin from the bed.

  
“How would I even reach her? She’s in the middle of a swamp!”

“That’s true. I’m betting she doesn’t have a mailbox, either.”

“And anyone we send it will get lost or start hacking branches and make the swamp angry.” Bolin hummed, then shrugged. “Oh, well. I won’t get my hopes up. Oh! I need to make sure Kya is coming, too. Obviously all the airbenders are, but she’s a waterbender, so I should specially invite her.”

Mako, who knew about their new space and made sure to keep the surprise a secret, just chuckled. “Yeah, you should. And you should invite Katara, too. She’s Korra’s waterbending teacher and a master of the art. Plus she’s Tenzin’s mom.”

“You’re right! I should invite Korra’s parents, too!”

“That’s a good idea.” If Korra was going to be in the ring, it would be worth it to give her parents a chance to see her do her work.

Far off, in the middle of the swamp, Toph was chuckling to herself. “So, he doesn’t think he can reach me huh? Don’t these youngsters remember that I’m Toph Beifong!? I can hear them through the roots.” She got up and got moving so she wouldn’t miss the party.

Being as she is the Avatar, Korra had to do Avatar stuff, and that meant attending a meeting. It was 3 weeks to the birthday bash. She sat at a table with the most powerful people in the world: Firelord Izumi, who was accompanied by former Firelord and friend of her past life, Zuko; King Wu, accompanied by Kuvira and the newly elected President of the Earth Council; the Chiefs of the Northern Water Tribe, Eska and Desna, as goth as ever; the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and Korra’s father, Tonraq; Tenzin, representing the Air Nation with Jinora by his side. It was an astounding collection of people, but Korra was used to it at this point.

There were only so many times you could see the same people and be astounded by them, especially when you knew you could take most of them in a fight at one time.

This particular meeting was just about resources, who had what and who needed what, who could give what, bringing forth balance through shared burden, et cetera. Korra almost didn’t pay attention for part of it.

“Avatar Korra,” Eska said suddenly. “You seem distracted.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, just, uh…” Zoning out because this was the Actual Worst. She’d take getting slammed around by a giant killer robot over this. “Planning out what gift to get Bolin. He has a birthday party coming up.”

“Ah, right. I should get my gift ready, as well,” Tonraq said.

“And he didn’t invite me?” Eska asked. Her deadpan voice sharpened with upsetti.

“Uh, well…” What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to say to this!?

“Where is it happening and when? I’ll be in attendance.” Eska was deadset on it. Desna nodded.

“I will also be attending.”

“Great! I’ll let him know! We’re having it at Republic City’s pro-bending arena. Don’t tell him, it’s a surprise.” Korra put her finger to her lips and winked. Esna nodded.

“Right. I’ll make sure not to breathe a word.”

“I’ll send him a gift. Bolin is Mako’s brother, and Mako is a dear friend of mine,” Wu said.

“I believe we all owe him for helping to save the world in many ways,” Firelord Izumi said. “I will also send a gift.”

It ended up being that the others who weren’t specifically attending promised a gift to be sent. Korra was laughing internally as the promises piled in. Tonraq was chuckling to himself. Tenzin sighed, happy that his island would be spared from the mayhem of an ex being at the party.

The meeting continued as normal after that. Once it was over, Korra handed over the time and address to Eska, figuring there might be enough distance to keep them from destroying each other or anything else. Desna pulled Korra aside after.

“Thank you for letting us come. Eska has been dreadfully bored recently.”

“Yeah, no problem.” She smiled as the twins sauntered off. “Did I have a choice?”

“She reminds me of my first girlfriend,” Zuko said, coming up after. “Dark, but quick as a whip and bored to tears with life itself, wanting more from it at all times.”

“Your girlfriend was like that?” Korra asked incredulously.

“Her name was Mai. She had the most lustrous black hair you could imagine and piercing eyes that refused to let anything hide from them. Of course, that led to the end of our relationship. My wife, I finally let myself trust fully. I didn’t want to make the mistake of hiding things from her.”

“Even the dark things from your past?” Korra asked. “I understand that feeling. Asami is my anchor. I’d be lost without her by my side.”

He nodded. “Before her, there was another. You said you saw my uncle once before, right?”

“Yeah, in the Spirit World. He must have found a way into it when he died so he became one of the spirits residing in it.”

“He left this world to find his own son, once he figured he had done all he could for the rest of us,” Zuko said. He smiled sadly.

“Do you want to meet him again?” Korra asked. Zuko nodded. “Meet me in a couple weeks in Republic City. We can find him through that portal. And you can attend the party in person. It’ll be nice to have someone Katara grew up with around.”

“I’ll certainly be in attendance, then. Don’t worry, I know where and when already. Katara sent me a letter about it.”

“Great! I’ll see you soon, then.” Korra smiled and headed out with her father, spending a meal with him before parting for home.

Toph arrived in Republic City 2 and a half weeks ahead of schedule. She busted into the police office and found Lin.

“Let me use your phone, I have someone to bother,” she said.

“Mom! You show up out of nowhere and demand to use _my_ phone to bother _someone else!?”_ Lin stared incredulously as Toph whipped the dial around to call Zuko.

“Hey, Zuko! You coming to the shindig in a couple weeks?”

“Uh. This is the Firelord’s secretary. Who are you?”

“Toph, his old friend who helped him save the world.”

“Right. I’ll connect you to Lord Zuko.”

Toph laughed at the name. What a joke, Zuko being a lord. He was a dork.

“Hello?” Zuko asked, confused. “Toph, I thought you went to live in the swamp and watch the world.”

“I did, and I found out that my number one fan is having a birthday party. I’m attending it, so you should come, too.”

“I’m planning to,” Zuko said. “Katara already invited me.”

“Katara’s coming? Wonderful! It’ll almost be like old times.”

“That it will be.” Zuko was smiling, reminiscing on the old times when they all got together and rampaged through balls and parties of the nobility, adding a fresh, young spice to everything.

“You miss them, too, huh?” Toph said. “We’re not long for the world. We’ll manage somehow.”

“I know. I’m going to be visiting my uncle in the Spirit World if you’d like to join. I know he was like a second father to you, as well.”

“It’ll be good to see him. He’s really still alive after all this time?”  
  


“I’m guessing he can’t die in the Spirit World. We’ll be going in through the Republic City Portal,” Zuko said. Toph nodded.

“Good to know. I’ll be there. I’m already in the city, so just you wait, young man.” The two of them laughed, and then Toph hung up. Lin raised an eyebrow.

“I’m going to the Spirit World soon. Don’t fret about my health.”

“I won’t. I know how strong you are, even in your old age,” Lin said.

Bolin was excitedly getting decorations together for the party and went to Air Temple Island to put them together. Tenzin and Pema met him at the dock.

“Bolin! What brings you by?” Pema asked, a knowing look on her face. “Opal is in the usual place.”

“I’m actually bringing some decorations by. I have to work, but would you be willing to put these up?” he asked. Pema smiled and took the box.

“I certainly can.” She opened the box to see some homemade decorations and smiled. “These look wonderful! Did you make them all yourself?”

“Yep! I’ve had these for years. Mako and I celebrated our birthdays on our own a lot, so we made decorations that we hang up every year.”

“That’s so sweet. We’ll take extra special care of them and get them set up for you.”

“Thanks!” Bolin then went to see Opal out back. Pema stared at the box and furrowed her brow briefly.

“Tenzin, we’re going to have to put these in the dining room for awhile. Then we can move them to the arena at the right time.”

“What’s Mommy talking about, Dad?” came a wee voice. It was Rohan. He took Tenzin’s hand.

“We’re throwing a birthday party for your uncle Bolin.”

“Can I come to the party?”

“Of course! All of his family are going,” Tenzin said, picking Rohan up. Rohan smiled widely and hugged him.

Two weeks to the party, at Future Industries, Asami was arranging the venue.

“There aren’t any games scheduled for that weekend, right?” she asked, settling the price for it. It wasn’t as hefty as she thought it would be. After some nodding and talking, they came to an agreement. Three days, giving time for setup and cleanup. She then called Opal to double check the name of one of Bolin’s favorite teams. Once she had it, she called them.

“Hello, Mr. Haka? My name is Asami. I have a favor to ask of you. Would you like to play a round against the Fire Ferrets in two weeks? No tournament or stakes, just simple bending.”

“Hah! You think we’re going to waste our time on that group? They can barely make it out of the gutter without getting lost,” Haka said, looking at some scheduling proposals. As the leader of the Tigerdillos, he had a reputation to maintain for his team, and that meant occasional appearances.

“It’s not the new Ferrets. It’s the old ones, the ones who gave you a run for your money a few years ago. You’d be facing Mako, Korra, and Bolin at Bolin’s birthday party.”

“Birthday? Huh, how interesting,” he said boredly. “What’s in it for me?”

“I’ll pay you handsomely~” Korra wasn’t going to be too happy that her movie funds were about to see depletion, but Asami knew she could make it up to her.

“How much we talkin’?” Haka asked. He whistled when Asami named the amount (it being the remains of what she didn’t pay to rent the arena.) “That much to face off against the Avatar and her friends for a friendly match, huh? Alright, I’ll tell my team, and we’ll be there.”

“Thank you so much sir! I’m glad for your participation.” Asami hung up, feeling very successful indeed.

One week to the party, and guests were arriving, staying at hotel rooms rented on behalf of Future Industries. Pema and Tenzin made a show of putting up the homemade decorations for Bolin before immediately taking them down and temporarily banning him from the island so they could “prepare for the party.”

Bolin jittered excitedly all over town, barely able to contain himself at work. Opal laughed and managed to get all of his gifts together in one spot on Air Temple Island where he wouldn’t find them even if he weren’t banned. Mako managed to keep him from getting run over in traffic several times.

King Wu ended up coming to celebrate in person, wanting to congratulate the brother of his friend Mako face to face. Eska and Desna arrived at the outskirts of Republic City around the same time as him and the Zaoyu Beifongs.

“Ah, King Wu, it’s good to see you,” Suyin said, a little nervous. She wasn’t aware that he would be appearing in person.

“It’s good to see you, too. What an honor, to ride the train with the creator of the world’s first metalbending city,” Wu said, smiling gracefully. Suyin laughed and shook hands with him.

“Well, it isn’t every day I get recognized for that. My husband was the one who came up with the plans for it. Ideas don’t build cities, after all,” she said, gesturing to Baatar, who also shook Wu’s hand.

“Indeed not! I would like to discuss business with you, sir, if you don’t mind doing so before the party. It’s going to take a lot of work to revitalize the Earth Kingdom and create the Earth Democracy, and your hand will be invaluable in the construction of much-needed infrastructure,” Wu said, smiling. There was excitement in his eyes. Baatar laughed.

“I would be honored to assist, King Wu.”

“Perhaps we can ask for your help in bringing technology to the Poles, as well,” Desna said, entering the conversation. The three quickly fell into a long discussion. Eska avoided it and went to Suyin.

“When Desna sets his heart on improvement of the North, he refuses to budge,” Eska said.  
  
“I see. When my husband is given a new challenge, he can’t turn away until he’s found a way to solve it,” Suyin said, chuckling. “Allow me to introduce my sons. Baatar Jr., the oldest and as clever as his father; Wei and Wing, my sport-loving twins; and Huan, the artist of the family. Each of them is a visionary I couldn’t be more proud of.”

Her sons smiled at the praise, knowing she meant it from the bottom of her heart. Eska looked them over, unimpressed. “How interesting.”

The train arrived, leading those uninvolved in future planning to drag the trio of future planners onto it, as they seemed unable to move, so engrossed were they. Eska rolled her eyes as Desna continued to talk about a way to stabilize metal in cold climates. Once the whole group was on, they were taken to the center of the city, at which point Suyin managed to get Baatar’s attention and got her family to the hotel room. Wei and Wing were daring each other to ask Eska out.

“She’s Bolin’s ex. The one who formed a wave to trail him after he broke their engagement,” Huan said. The twins decided not to ask Eska out, having heard the horror story from Opal and Bolin.

They arrived in their rooms and settled in until the party came round.

Asami and Mako checked once more with the ring organizers to make sure that everything was in place. The Beifong women accompanied them to check things out. The seats were made with metal, making it easy to move them out of the way. The floor beneath was made of stone, making it easy to bend the shit out of it to suit their needs. Asami made plans for them to follow on paper, then realized how much of a bad idea that was for Toph.

“We’ll mark out what needs to be done when the time comes,” Mako said.

“Thanks. I should have fought harder for disability rights. Not everyone is as skilled as me when it comes to bending, heh?” Toph chuckled and got the lay of the land. “We’re flattening part of it out so people can walk around, right?”

“Right, and we want better access to the player and VIP lounges, since those will be our main areas for rest and food.”

“Got it. And you need all of this done in one day?” Toph asked.

“That’s right. We need it ready for decorating at least 3 hours before the party starts in the evening.”

“I can have it ready in one hour. We’re starting that tomorrow, am I right?”

“You got it! They have a match tonight, so we can’t do anything today.” The group left the area after walking it over to check places and possibilities. Lin instructed a portion of her task force to guard the party.

The day before the party arrived. The gifts were moved secretly across the sky as Bolin was taken shopping by Opal to find a nice suit to wear. She hoped to get him one that he could bend in.

“Why would I ever need to bend in a fancy suit?” Bolin asked. “Then again, I _am_ friends with the Avatar…”

“Exactly! That makes it imperative for you to have the right attire at all times, not just for the situation, but for combative situations,” Opal said.

The Beifongs entered the arena at noon.

Bolin found the perfect suit and the tailor took it out back for some quick tailoring. It didn’t hurt that he used ice needles as a waterbender to quickly manage many areas of drawing in. In an hour, it was ready for Bolin to try on again. When he did, it was a perfect fit. They also ordered one for Pabu, ready at the same time.

The arena was ready, much to the chagrin of the owner.

The decorations flew in and were put up quickly, sitting in key places to be observed by all those in attendance.

Firelord Izumi made a special appearance, not wanting to miss the party that everyone else was attending. The Earth Council also appeared for the same reason.

And then…

Bolin sat, dejected, on the steps of Air Temple Island, which was unusually quiet. There were no acolytes, no trainees, no airbender family… and no Opal. Even the dining hall was totally empty of people and decorations. Pabu tried to cheer him up by doing a cute trick.  
  
“Sorry, Pabu, but this is one thing that your amazing tricks can’t help me with.” He sighed, then looked up at the sky and evening colors blazing across it, just in time to see Juicy land beside him. Opal hopped off and stood in front of him with a great big smile on her face.

“Happy birthday, Bolin~!” she said, giving him a bouquet of flowers. He took them in hand, still depresso, but less so now that she was here.

“Hey, Opal. Come to celebrate my birthday?”

“Yep! And I’m also here to show you a super surprise that your friends put together.” She smiled and held out her hand for him to take. Bolin smiled and took it, then climbed onto Juicy with her. Off they flew, into the sunset and beyond to the bending arena.

“Alright, I’m gonna blindfold you, but you know the way.” She smiled and put a blindfold on Bolin. He raised an eyebrow, all confused, but okay with being out of the loop if Opal was in it. They walked down the halls together, one step at a time, until they reached the stands of the arena itself.

“Alright, so what’s this amazing surprise you put together for me?” he asked. Over the loudspeakers came a voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” It was the announcer of the matches. “Presenting to you for one night only~ The birthday party of Booooooolin!”

The blindfold came off. Bolin saw his brother, Korra, Asami, the airbending kids, Tenzin and Pema, Toph and her daughters, Opal’s siblings and father, Kuvira, all three Water Tribe Chiefs, Firelord Izumi, Lord Zuko, the Earth Council and Wu. He stared in shock at the gathering of people around him.

“This is… So cool! Is everyone here to celebrate my birthday!?”

“Sure are,” Mako said, smiling. “Though some of the guests are unexpected.”

Those tangentially related to him came up to greet him first, then went off to enjoy the party. Opal’s siblings spoke to him briefly, all well wishes and happy birthdays. He hugged the twins and promised a match, their discs against his lava. Suyin stepped in to downgrade that to rock discs all around, then hugged Bolin and wished him another happy year. Eska and Desna told him _happy birthday_ as well.

“I do not regret our relationship. It’s opened many opportunities for travel in the future.”

“Uh… right.” He assumed that meant she would continue being in his life despite everything. Opal took his hand and hugged him comfortingly.

Varric came up. “Bolin, I remember the days we spent working on that spirit vine stuff fondly. I never would have made it out of there without you!”

“Uh, thanks sir.” Bolin smiled nervously, then hugged Varric. Ju Li smiled.

“We made sure to get you a good present.”

Korra and Asami approached next.

“I can hardly believe so much time has gone by since we first met,” Korra said, smiling. “You’re so old! You were barely more than a kid before.”

“Hey! I was only a little younger than you.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Korra grinned and laughed. Asami smiled gently.

“I hope it wasn’t too jarring for the party to have moved here.”

“Not at all! Y’know, I was super sad before because I thought that no one actually wanted to celebrate, and then I came here and found out the truth!” Bolin grinned. “Did you do this?”

“I did. I had to pull a few strings. And… this isn’t the only surprise of the night.”  
  
“Really? There’s more? Is it presents?”

“Not presents.”

“Cake? Did you add decorations?” He looked around at the handmade decorations they had put up.

“No and no.” Asami stepped aside as the Tigerdillos came forward.

“Happy birthday, Fire Ferret,” Haka said, holding his hand out. Bolin shook it. “We’re here for a match, but it seems like you’re totally in the dark.”

Bolin gasped and squeed. “Asami! You got them to come here for a match? Best! Birthday! Ever!”

Zuko, Toph, and Katara had a chuckle over how much like Sokka he sounded.

“That’s right. And they’re up against the best iteration of the Fire Ferrets Republic City has ever known.” Asami winked. Bolin shrieked with delight and ran off to get his gear on when it was time.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thems of all ages! On this special occasion, a match between the Golden Temple Tigerdillos and the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!”

There were cheers all around as the guests found seats. Eska and Desna sat close to the Beifongs. Izumi settled near her father and his friends. The Earth Council and Tonraq sat near each other, as well.

“Will we see the Tigerdillos take victory from their old foes? Or will the Fire Ferrets maintain their old championship title from seasons past?”

The teams came onto the field. Bolin was excited to be back in the ring and prepared for battle. Korra got into stance with Mako, all three feeling the old camaraderie and synchronization they had had. It didn’t take long for them to gain ground, taking one territory after another in the first round.

“You can feel their auras, even from here,” Huan commented quietly.

“You can feel auras?” Eska asked, turning to him.

“In a sense. I have trained to see the innermost parts of people,” he answered. She hummed.

The second didn’t go so smoothly, as the Tigerdillos managed to maintain a lead over the Ferrets. In the third round, they were head to head. Opal cheered loudly for Bolin and spurred him on.

“This is for Opal!” Bolin shouted, throwing a disc hard at their earthbender. He went over the side, quickly followed by the other two. Everyone cheered.

After that, he went to meet with Opal and smiled when she hugged him, still cheering for him.

“Bolin that was amazing! I had listened to some bender matches, but I never thought I’d get to see you in action like that!”

“Thanks, babe. It was nothing.” He chuckled. “I was really feeling it though!”

Korra and Mako returned to their own places. The party continued until it was present time. Bolin ran over to the towering gift table excitedly.

“There are so many! Mako! Look at all of these!” Bolin pointed to the pile. Wei and Wing had both given him separate gifts, lowkey wanting to outdo each other. Wu had gotten him six gifts, all wrapped in the same paper. He started opening them, one at a time, thanked everyone with each gift.  
  


The Beifongs all got him a full furniture set. He now owned two full sets of pots and pans because Wei and Wing had the brilliant idea of outdoing the other with the same gift. Huan gave him a sculpture, one that was of him and Opal. Opal got him a full set of towels. Baatar Jr had the brilliant idea to get him the rest of the kitchen equipment.  
  
“Wow, it’s like I have a whole apartment here!”

Asami stepped forward. “Funny you mention that. I found a place close to your work and decided to put down for the deposit on it. It’s yours when you’re ready to move in.”

“Really!? My own place!?” Bolin grinned widely. Grandma came up to him and smiled.

“It’s also close to where we’ve settled in, which means you’ll get to come and visit any time.”

“That’s perfect!” Nothing could have made Bolin happier.

Desna presented his and Eska’s gift after that, handing it over. “It’s a large blanket, enough for two to wrap themselves up in it. We thought it fitting for you.”

“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.” The blanket had the symbol of Republic City on it. Bolin grinned.

The party slowly wound down from there. First the kids started feeling sleepy and had to go home. Then the airbenders and nation rulers retired with a final wish to him. Most of the Beifongs took off, with only Huan staying behind and speaking to the Chief twins. As the numbers dwindled, Toph approached Bolin.  
  
“Hey, kid. Think you got what it takes to beat me in an earthbending match?”

“No way. You’re Toph Beifong. No one can beat you!”

“Hah! You’re damn right they can’t! I’m the best earthbender there ever was. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a shot.”

“Are you saying… you’re challenging me to a match?”

“Do you have something in your ears? Of course I’m challenging you!” Toph laughed, then went out the door. “I’ll be back tomorrow to put things back where they were.”

Team Avatar surrounded him. Opal held his hand and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, I did.” Bolin smiled, then started crying. The others were worried for a moment before he sniffled and smiled. “This was the best birthday I could have asked for. Everyone came to see me and I got so much cool stuff, and I got to fight in a match, and we…”

He sobbed and hugged Opal. Then he dragged the others into it as Eska, Desna, and Huan came over.

“Bolin,” Eska said. “I have officially moved on from you.”

“Really? That’s good to hear. What’s with the change of heart?”

“My heart is now with Huan. He’s an interesting person,” Eska said. Bolin froze. If anything could ruin the mood, it was hearing that possessive Goth Queen Eska was now dating individual Emo King Huan.

“Well, I hope it goes well for you. Congrats!”

“We owe you for us being able to meet at all,” Huan said. The twins and he said goodbye, departing for their hotel rooms for the night.

Bolin screamed internally, then externally, then started laughing with the others.

“Who would have guessed?”

“And here I am thinking that Wei and Wing might be a good match,” Korra said, chuckling.

“Twins dating each other? That’d get messy,” Mako said. “Let’s head home. I got some sweets that are in the ice box right now.”

“Sweet! Ooh, ooh! Maybe we can have a moving-in party next weekend~!” Bolin said.

“I’m down for it,” Asami said. “The place has 4 bedrooms, so there’s plenty of room for guests.”

“Alright. Next weekend, we’ll help Bolin move all of his stuff into his new apartment. Should we… get the furniture there first?” Mako asked, looking at everything.  
  
“I’ll get it there,” Opal said. “Let’s load it onto Juicy.”

Ultimately, it took several trips because it was furniture for a living room, dining room, multiple bathrooms, and all the bedrooms. Once it was done and in the living room, however, Opal was more than happy to take Bolin home with her. The others retired to their own places and enjoyed the peace and quiet after the excitement of the night.

“Thanks for helping with storing that,” Bolin said, smiling. He yawned when they reached Air Temple Island.

“No problem. I asked permission from Tenzin for you to be able to stay around here,” Opal said. “Just for the night.”

She showed him to the guest room and let him get comfortable there. Bolin stretched out happily on the bed inside and soon fell fast asleep. He could hardly wait for his birthday next year.

**Author's Note:**

> thought process leading to this: how can i get goth queen eska and emo king huan into a room together?


End file.
